its science!

Nick McGurk, Reporter

September 11, 2013

FORT COLLINS - Back in April, Colorado State University's hurricane experts predicted an above-average season; a season that has proved instead to be far below average.

Dr. Bill Gray with CSU had predicted back in April the Atlantic would produce 18 named storms, nine of which would be hurricanes.

"So far, halfway through it, we've only had eight named storms, one hurricane, and no major storm," he said.

Gray, who has been in meteorology for roughly 60 years, has a worldwide reputation for predicting hurricanes.

"I made the first forecast 30 years ago," Gray said.

Since then, the number of hurricanes per year has fluxuated.

"Almost no storms in some years, some years a lot. What is this year going to be? There's just an interest in that," Gray said.

He admits the predictions this year have been off, though he says every organization that has tried to predict hurricanes off the Atlantic hasn't gotten it right.

"This year, everything's down. We've never seen a year where everything, the activity in the whole northern hemisphere is down," Gray said. "The atmosphere is so complex."

He says more answers on the year's hurricanes will come by the end of the season, which is in November.